Carlsbad, CA – The Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) annual CEO Summit is expected to draw an estimated 200 senior executives to The Grand Del Mar resort in San Diego March 29 to April 1. The event will be held at a time when busy executives find themselves fending off immediate problems while keeping their companies on course toward their long-term objectives.
SISO sessions and speakers will delve into the current conditions of the exhibition market and offer ideas for increasing attendance, expanding internationally and preparing shows for sale.
The event begins with a reception and dinner on March 29 sponsored by GES Exposition Services and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. The keynote speaker on March 30 is Galen Poss, president of Hanley Wood Exhibitions, who will moderate a Q&A session with a panel of four CEOs. The panelists will provide their views on the economic environment and the short and long-range goals they have for their companies. The panelists include: Mike Cooke of dmg world media; Tony Uphoff of TechWeb; Sharon Rowlands of Penton Media; and Joel Davis of JD Events LLC.
Another look at the state of industry will be offered March 31 in a session that features presentations by Doug Ducate, president and CEO of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, and John Suhler, founding general partner and president of Veronis Suhler Stevenson.
The agenda includes a strong line-up of more specialized sessions:
- Mike Rusbridge, chairman and CEO of Reed Exhibitions, will moderate a panel on international opportunities that includes Michael von Zitzewitz, chairman of Messe Frankfurt GmbH; Jimé Essink, CEO of CMP Asia; and Marco Giberti, president and regional partner, Reed Exhibitions, Latin America.
- Skip Farber, principal of Carlin Capital Partners, will moderate a discussion on “going green” and the reasons the movement is being embraced.
- The current state of business travel and its effect on trade shows.
- The strategy of using small-scale acquisitions to build a portfolio.
- A look at the opportunities and pitfalls in using the Internet to build up sales, online communities and virtual trade shows.
- Maximizing the value of a business when you decide to sell. Canon Communications Chairman and CEO Charles McCurdy and Hal Greenberg, partner, VSS Structured Capital Funds, take part in the discussion that will be moderated by Richard Mead, managing director of the Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
The SISO CEO Summit will also include ample opportunities for networking with colleagues, including a golf outing on the afternoon of March 31 that is sponsored by the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority. Attendees will also have the opportunity for a swing analysis and club-fitting session with Callaway, which is headquartered about 20 miles to the north.
Reach Anna Osnower, director of operations for SISO, at (310) 450-8831 or aosnower@siso.org
